What is Open Data?

I have been researching and thinking about how Open Data could be really useful for the housing association sector. With Steve Dungworth and others, I have become convinced that there would be a huge benefit if social housing providers could get together and publish their key property information online. However, full disclosure, a few weeks ago I can’t say I was certain what Open Data was.

Here is a simple explanation for anyone who also feels a bit unsure when confronted with all the types of Data (lakes, sets, architecture, points, standards, analytics, warehouses and so on)

Open Data refers to data this is freely available to everyone. Anyone can use it and publish it without restrictions. It is like fresh air, rather than canned oxygen. It is a concept promoted by Tim Berners Lee (who invented the World Wide Web), who promotes the idea through the Open Data Institute, and while it is primarily related to technology and data science, it has been taken up by a number of industries and the public sector.

Open Data encourages people, companies and organisations to innovate as they analyse large, shared data sets. It requires and builds trust and openness, and helps strengthen the voice of citizens and consumers. It can help researchers make new discoveries and businesses to create new services (potentially for previously overlooked groups).

Open Data is

1. Accessible – this usually means it’s available online so anyone can get hold of it
2. Reusable – this means anyone can use it – they can manipulate it to draw new conclusions
3. Machine readable – the data should be available in a way that a computer can process it, meaning it can be analysed
4. Widely adopted so the data set is of a useful size.

There is a worry about personal information being shared. Our suggestion is that property data should not be considered as personal information. If you are bidding for a home, or looking to move. open data about a particular home could be very useful for you. If you are a landlord, showing that you have nothing to hide is reassuring to residents and regulators. I believe being more open and honest would raise standards too. What do you think?